Ildefonso Escamilla took pride in showing support for community members around him whenever they lost a loved one in their life.
Now, community members are doing their part to be there for Escamilla’s family after the 35-year-old and two of his sons, 8-year-old Sebastian Escamilla and 7-year-old Danny Escamilla, were killed in a fire early Thursday at their West Ridge apartment.
Three other family members — including his wife, 17-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son — were also injured after jumping from a third-story window when the fire erupted.
As of Monday afternoon, over $31,500 has been raised to help Escamilla’s family as they navigated the loss of three relatives.
“It shows us how much of an impact [Escamilla] actually left,” Kevin Aguilar, Escamilla’s 20-year-old nephew, said. “We’re very grateful.”
The fire erupted around 1:50 a.m. Thursday in the 7000 block of North Rockwell Street, authorities said. Escamilla and the two boys were pronounced dead at the scene.
The building had only a few windows left intact. The higher floors were badly scorched, and through the windows, the sky was visible where the roof should have been.
More than 100 personnel, including firefighters, emergency medical services and police officers, responded to the blaze that began in the rear of the four-story apartment building, Chicago police and the fire department officials said.
Escamilla’s wife jumped from their third-story apartment with their 1-year-old son in her arms and was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where she was in critical condition.
She broke her leg, arm and multiple ribs, injured her thigh bone and dislocated her shoulder, according to Aguilar. She underwent one surgery and is scheduled for another as her condition improves, though it’s unknown how long she’ll be hospitalized.
“She isn’t able to speak right now. She’s just able to move her eyes and her hands,” Aguilar said. “[Doctors] are saying her chances of survival are really high.”
The 1-year-old boy was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital with scratches and lung damage and was released Sunday, family said. The 17-year-old daughter also suffered lung damage from smoke inhalation and was taken to Lurie, where she was released Saturday.
Several days after the fire, Escamilla’s family members are still shaken up.
“I was just thinking about all the memories,” Aguilar said. “Everything just played back slowly, just remembering everything we’ve done, every family event we’ve gone through, every down, every high.”
Escamilla was described as a “dedicated pillar of our family” and “a hardworking father who always pushed forward no matter what and also who loved his wife and children deeply.”
“It’s sad to say, but he pretty much did give his life away for his kids,” Aguilar said.
Escamilla was passionate about cooking and worked in restaurants for 15 years. He was working toward opening up his own taco truck after a prior truck he owned in 2021 went out of business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He always found a way to keep pushing. That’s what he would’ve wanted for everybody,” Aguilar said. “He always helped everybody when they were in their worst.”
Dani and Sebastian loved playing soccer, and the sport “brought immeasurable joy and light to our lives, especially to their young cousins.”
“They were always just laughing,” Aguilar said of the boys. “They were always making everybody laugh.”
Aguilar and his relatives have been spending more time together as they try to navigate the tragedy.
“[We’ve been] appreciating each other more and just realizing that life is a gift,” Augilar said.
The cause and origin of the fire was still under investigation.
Contributing: Mary Norkol